178 Chapter Five THE PERSECUTION OF HOMOSEXUALS Homosexualist revisionists assert that Hitler’s ascen- sion to the Chancellorship marked the beginning of a homosexual Holocaust in Germany. For example, as early as 1978, homosexual political activists claimed that “[m]any thousands and hundreds of thousands [of homo- sexuals] were...imprisoned in concentration camps where they died” (ONE Letter, May, 1978). Over the years the story has assumed ever more fantastic proportions. In 1986 Plant wrote, “After years of frustration...Hitler’s storm troopers now had the opportunity to smash their enemies: the lame, the mute, the feebleminded, the epileptic, the homosexual, the Jew, the Gypsy, the Communist. These were the scapegoats singled out for persecution. These were the ‘contragenics’ who were to be ruthlessly elimi - nated to ensure the purity of the ‘Aryan race.’” (Plant:51). Rector writes, “Hitler’s homophobia did not surface until 1933-1934, when gays had come to affect adversely his New Order designs -- out of which grew the simple solution of murdering them en masse” (Rector:24). Unsupported assertions such as these have allowed the theory of a “Gay Holocaust” (in which homosexuals are portrayed alongside the Jews as victims of a campaign of 179 The Persecution of Homosexuals extermination) to gain currency in the United States. The evidence does not support this theory. Unfortunately, the portrayal of homo - sexuals as Nazi victims has assumed a kind of “untouchable” status among supporters of “gay rights,” probably because the success of the movement depends so heavily on public sympathy. Thus, today we see active suppres- Cover of Richard Plant’s popular revi- sion of information sionist history, The Pink Triangle. linking homosexuals to the Nazis and misrepre- sentation of homosexuals’ experience in the Third Reich. A few “gay” academics are more forthright. For example, homosexualist scholar Manfred Herzer admits: As far as the scope of homosexual men’s support of the Nazis is concerned, we face a self-imposed void in our knowledge that has taken on the dimensions of an ideo - logically motivated taboo. Within gay historiography, even such a repugnant figure as the Nazi leader Ernst Roehm has repeatedly been consigned to the role of vic - tim, first of leftist and then of Nazi “homophobia,” for only by doing so has it been possible to perpetuate a slanted account of history that persistently portrays homo - sexuals as persecuted martyrs and passive victims (Herzer:199). Homosexualists Johansson and Percy promote the use of “outing” (exposing public figures, past and present as THE PINK SWASTIKA 180 “gay”) to influence public opinion about homosexuality and the “gay” agenda. They advise that “[a]ctivists should clearly not out a notorious criminal or mass murderer as they would a famed medical missionary or celebrated inventor” (Johansson and Percy:284). They acknowledge that “[a]pologists generally prefer to deny that homosexual - ity was widespread among Nazi leaders after the purge of Roehm and his associates....[although Italian “gay” activ - ist] Massimo Consoli has reversed this tendency by dwell - ing at length on the homosexuality of the early followers of the NSDAP (National Socialist Party). (Consoli is, how - ever, a leading proponent of the “Gay Holocaust” public relations ploy -- Grau:5). Then we have the problem of simple error in claims such as that made by homosexualist Claudia Schoppmann. She has claimed that German “gay rights” leader Martin Radszuweit was murdered in a concentration camp (Herzer:226). Herzer states authoritatively that Radszu- weit did not die in a concentration camp: “...he died in the 1980s in his house in Berlin-Kopenick” (ibid.:226). The Harvard Gay and Lesbian Review (Summer 1995) contains an admirably candid review of the book Hidden Holocaust? by Gunter Grau (in which Schoppmann was a minor contributor): Grau and Schoppman conclude that there was no “holo - caust” of gays — hence the question mark in the book’s title. This assessment is based on the wide range of con - temporary documents...Grau discounts the current wild estimates of the number of gays killed by the Nazis, sug - gesting a figure closer to 5,000...How, then are we to read the widely quoted incendiary statements by Nazis like SS leader Himmler, who consistently called for the ‘eradic- ation’ of homosexuals?...Much of this rhetoric, Grau says, was propaganda meant for public consumption... Gays were never the subject of pogroms, and never faced 181 The Persecution of Homosexuals the danger that the Jews did in Germany and occupied Europe. Dr. Judith Reisman, in “The Pink Swastika and Holocaust Revi- sionist History,” wrote this comparison of the fate of the two groups under the Nazis: Were homosexuals treated like Jews, 2-3 million out of 2-3 mil- The success of the “Gay Holocaust” lion German homo- myth has encouraged homosexual po- sexuals should have litical activists to equate opposition to lost their businesses, their agenda with Nazism. This March, their jobs, their prop- Outworld 2000 cover of uses Nazi im- erty, their possessions agery to malign a pro-marriage ballot measure in California. and most would have lost their lives. Ho - mosexuals would have been forced to wear pink triangles on their clothing in the streets, they would have had their passports stamped with an “H,” been barred from travel, work, shopping, public appearances without their arm- bands, and we would have thousands of pictures of pink triangle graffiti saying “kill the faggots,” and the like. If German homosexuals were not Nazis, these 2-3 million men would have been homeless, walled in ghettos, worked as a mass labor pool, then gassed and their abuse recorded in graphic detail, as were the millions of Jews. And, if Germany’s several million “gays” were not Nazi victims, they were Nazi soldiers, collaborators or murder - ers (Reisman:Culture Wars, April 1996). THE PINK SWASTIKA 182 Newspaper ad exploits the Holocaust to advance the cause of homo - sexual legitimization. The fact is that relatively few homosexuals died in con - centrations camps. They were never murdered “en masse” or “ruthlessly eliminated” by the Nazis. Yet many homo - sexuals were jailed and some did die in Nazi work camps. (Of course, those who were jailed were males; there was 183 The Persecution of Homosexuals never a systematic prosecution of lesbians -- Grau:15). What is the truth about Nazi persecution of homosexuals? There are several incidents in Nazi history which are most often cited as evidence of their persecution of homo - sexuals. This list includes (1) the sacking of the Sex Re - search Institute of Berlin, (2) a series of increasingly harsh public pronouncements and policies against homosexuality by Hitler and Himmler, (3) the Roehm Purge (also known as “The Night of the Long Knives”), and (4) the internment of homosexuals in work camps. We will look at each of these issues in turn. The Path of the Paranoid One overarching factor must be kept in mind as we ex- amine the history of Nazi persecution of homosexuals: the paranoia of Adolf Hitler. Hitler was deathly afraid that his own homosexuality would be exposed to the German peo- ple, undoing all that he had worked for in his ascension to power. Indeed, Lothar Machtan argues convincingly that the entire Nazi campaign against homosexuality, from the initial anti-sodomy policies to the Roehm purge to the in- ternment of homosexuals in the camps, was orchestrated to prevent the truth about Hitler from coming out. Machtan writes Hitler’s determination to destroy anything that might have provided an insight into his private life is well docu - mented. He got rid of anything he could, and his arm was long, even before 1933. Those privy to his secrets were bribed, sworn to secrecy, blackmailed or killed....Hit - ler’s...homosexuality...was the secret from his past that threatened at any time to rear its head as he rose politi - cally....and he defended that secret by all available means (Machtan:20f). THE PINK SWASTIKA 184 One of Hitler’s greatest problems was blackmail. Blackmail of homosexuals by estranged partners and pros - titutes was a simple fact of life in Germany. “[H]omosexuals were particularly vulnerable to blackmail - ers, known as Chanteure on the ho - mosexual scene,” write Burleigh and Wippermann. “Black- mail, and the threat of public exposure, re - sulted in frequent sui - cides or suicide attempts” (Burleigh and Wipperman:184). Police Commis- sioner Hans von Tresckow, who served in Berlin during the years that Hitler was on the streets in Munich and Vienna, wrote the following in his mem- Memoirs of Berlin Police Commis - oirs: sioner Hans von Tresckow. One of the worst features of homosexualism is that it gives rise to an enormous amount of male prostitution. Many persons who are perfectly normal find it a lucrative though disgraceful trade. In Berlin there are many centers where homosexualists make the acquaintances of accom - plices who will serve their requirements. And there are many cafés and taverns which are frequented almost ex - clusively by such people. The police are powerless to put down this practice, because they require legal authoriza - tion to interfere. My experience is that male prostitution has been steadily increasing for some decades past and cases of blackmail are becoming more numerous accord - 185 The Persecution of Homosexuals ingly; for a person who goes in for this profession is al - most always a blackmailer. (Treschow in Lively:18). For Hitler, the list of blackmailers included numerous political opportunists. Igra reports that Heinrich Hoffman, the official Nazi photographer, gained his position by using information about Hitler’s perverse abuse of his (Hoffman’s) daughter, Henny, to blackmail the future Fuehrer (Igra:74). (Henny Hoffman was later married off to reputed homosexual Baldur von Schirach, probably to quell rumors about his exploits with Hitler Youth boys).